The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi; or, The Homestead in the Wilderness

by St. George Rathborne

  CHAPTER X

  THE CABIN THAT BRAVED THE FLOOD

  THERE was nothing that mortal hand could do to ward off the impendingperil that threatened to take the Armstrong cabin down the river, afterthose of the other settlers that had gone before.

  That huge forest monarch was coming along with majestic power,borne on the swift current, and apparently headed straight for thehalf-submerged cabin that had made such a gallant fight against heavyodds.

  "If it hits the cabin, there can be but one end!" Bob was forced to sayaloud.

  "But is there any chance at all that it may pass by without striking?"demanded Sandy, unconsciously gripping the sleeve of his brother'sfringed hunting coat in his excitement, while his eyes were glued tothe fearful object that was causing this new alarm in his heart.

  "A small one; hardly enough to build on," replied Bob, soberly. "It alldepends on the current right here. I noticed some time ago that itseems to make a sharp swerve away from the shore. Perhaps that may bejust enough to send the tree on a new tack, and spare our cabin."

  "Oh! I hope so; I hope so!" murmured Sandy.

  "But we shall know the worst in another minute," declared Bob; "for itis coming along pretty fast now."

  The two boys stood there, almost holding their breath in suspense,their eyes fixed on the object that held so much terror for them. Ofcourse they would hate to see the dear old cabin go; but, after all,that was not what gave them the most concern. There was that littletreasure box, that held the few valuables of their mother; and,besides, that precious belt, which meant more to the pioneer familythan untold gold, as it spelled protection from Indian perils.

  "There, it is at the point where the outward sweep begins; but willsuch a big object be influenced by so small a change in the current?"Bob was saying.

  "I can begin to see a shaking of the branches that stand up, as if theyfelt a new hand at the helm!" declared Sandy.

  "Yes, yes, that is so!" cried Bob, almost as keenly aroused as theexcitable Sandy.

  "It moves, Bob, it moves! I can see it begin to swerve! Oh! if thecabin were only fifty yards further down-stream, I do believe it wouldescape!"

  "And it may yet. Wait and see!" answered Bob, watching the course ofthe tree with a critical eye.

  "It is swinging around, so that the branches begin to turn toward thecabin. If anything strikes, it will not be the heavy butt, but thelighter end. Perhaps our home may be able to stand out against thatsort of a blow."

  "There! it's coming now!" cried Bob.

  The scraping of the branches, as the tree swung around, was plainlyheard. Sandy gave a gasp. He imagined that he saw the log structurestart after the floating tree; but in this his fears magnified things,for it did not happen.

  Instead, the cabin remained just where it had always stood, while thefloating derelict of the flood passed on to its destiny.

  "Hurrah!" exclaimed Bob, waving his cap enthusiastically.

  For the moment poor Sandy was incapable of making a single sound. Hetrembled violently, gasping for breath, and could only give his brothera wan smile in exchange for his warm greeting; such was the nervouseffect the crisis had upon the excitable lad.

  But presently Sandy became himself, and was bubbling over with joybecause fortune had been so kind to them.

  "Oh! look!" he shouted a little later, "what can that be on the big logout yonder? It seems to me like a black bear."

  "And that is just what it is," replied his brother, after a carefulsurvey.

  "Yes, as sure as anything, it must be, for I saw him move his headthen," Sandy went on. "It makes me think of that panther in the treethat was floating down the river once, when we had our adventure withhim. But how in the wide world do you suppose he came there; and whydoesn't he swim ashore? Bears can swim, all right, Bob; isn't that so?"

  "To be sure they can," replied the other; "but I imagine that bearmust have been in a treetop, and changed his location to the log, asbeing better to his liking. He is pretty far out, you see, and perhapsthe swift current scares the poor old fellow; so that he thinks hehad better hug close to his craft, and let it carry him along where itwill."

  "Just to think how he takes that voyage into the unknown world withouta single care," remarked Sandy; "and why should pioneers be afraid toaccept the dangers of the wilderness boldly, when they are in force?Think of him getting ashore, hundreds of miles it may be from hisstarting place, which he will never see again. I suppose that is oneof the ways different kinds of wild animals are given a start in newsections of the country."

  "I have been told that by Daniel Boone, who has looked upon so manystrange things in his day," Bob went on. "See, the bear is lookingtoward us now, as if he wonders what sort of creatures these two-leggedthings can be. But he is safe from our guns out there, and can keep onhis ride in peace."

  "Where is Mr. Armstrong?"

  This question was asked by a neighbor, who had his small son by thearm; and Bob could not but notice that Mr. Wayne looked somewhatconcerned.

  "Over this way, sir, you will find him; I will show you where," Bobanswered; and Sandy trailed along, too, as if he believed that thesettler had some particular reason for wanting to see their father.

  As Mr. Wayne was one of those who had been talking most vehementlyabout emigrating further west, Sandy chose to think that his missionnow might have some bearing on that issue.

  But it did not. On the contrary, both boys were astounded to hear whatMr. Wayne had to say, when presently he came upon their father.

  "It was the boy who saw them," the settler started to say, as heglanced down at his son, about eight years of age, and rather amanly little fellow. "It was at the time we were all so excited lastnight that we missed him. I hunted wildly around, as perhaps you mayremember; and when I began to fear he had been carried off in theriver, I finally discovered him, standing there on the bank, watchingthe water by the light of the fires."

  "Yes, I remember," remarked Mr. Armstrong, as the other paused forbreath; "but you have something more to tell, because I do not see howthis has any connection with my affairs, neighbor."

  "Wait," the other went on, "and you will see whether it has or not.Only a little while ago my good wife called me to her, and said thatRufus had been making certain remarks about two strange men he saw, andthat she thought he ought to repeat in my hearing. So I questioned thelad, and learned this. While he was standing by the water's edge lastnight, after you and your family had gone up to the blockhouse with allyour possessions, Rufus saw two burly men, who were dressed like Kentonand Boone, he says, pass out to your cabin, Mr. Armstrong, and enter bythe door!"

  "Oh!" exclaimed Sandy, with his usual impulsiveness.

  "Those terrible French trappers!" murmured Bob; "what could they wantthere?"

  "They did not stay inside very long," the settler continued; "and then,after looking out in a queer way, as if they did not wish to be seen,he says they hastened to the bank, and went sneaking off, down-riverway."

  "But why did he not tell this before?" asked Mr. Armstrong, plainlydisturbed by the news.

  "Well, you see, he is only a child," the other went on; "and, in theexcitement of the hour, it passed from his mind; or else he thoughtthey might have been some of the men of the settlement whom he didnot know. But it came back to him a little while ago, and he startedtalking about it in a way to attract the attention of his mother, wholistened long enough to make sure that I should know. And so I havebrought him here, that you might question him further if it so pleasedyou."

  "I am afraid they must have been those scoundrels," said Mr. Armstrong;"but what could have induced them to take the chances they did inentering my cabin? I can only account for it in one way. They wantedthat wampum belt which it is known my sons possess, and which entitlesits possessor to the good-will of nearly every tribe of Indians betweenthe Alleghanies and the Mississippi. That is why they have beenhovering around here so long, waiting for a chance to search our home.And it came in a way they had perhaps n
ever dreamed of."

  "But surely the precious belt is safe with all your things in theblockhouse?" remarked Mr. Wayne.

  "That is the worst of it," replied the other settler; "in ourexcitement we came away and forgot the little treasure box, which thegood wife kept on a shelf above one of the windows. Besides a fewvaluables, which she would grieve to lose, it also holds that wampumbelt of the great chief, Pontiac."

  "In which case, the chances are that those rogues have discovered it,and carried it off with them," suggested Mr. Wayne.

  "I am afraid so," answered Bob's father, disconsolately.

  The two boys were chilled by the thought. After all, was the cabin tostand through the flood, and then a bitter disappointment await themwhen they entered the familiar room, in the hope that they would findsafe the object of their solicitude?

  They hurried back again to the bank, and looked out to where theirhalf-submerged home still stood. Until they were able to reach thedoor, and pass within, neither of them could know peace again.

  "Oh! will the old river ever go down again, so that we can reach thedoor and know the worst?" Sandy groaned as the afternoon wore slowlyaway, and the glowing sun sank toward the west that constantly luredhis thoughts away from the region of the Ohio.

  "But it is falling, and very fast now!" declared his brother, who hadbeen examining the marks closely and eagerly.

  "But what are a few inches, when we will have to wait until it goesdown six or more feet?" grumbled Sandy; but nothing was to be gainedby complaining, and finally the boys concluded to camp right there onthe bank, where they could keep watch through the night, so that no onemight pass out to the cabin without being seen in the light of the firethey would keep burning.

  And this was what they did. One slept while the other stood sentry,always keeping an eye on the cabin.

  The river went down very fast during the hours of darkness; and therecame no fresh alarm to stir the tired souls from slumber. So anothermorning found them; and the first thing Sandy noticed was that thecabin stood free from the flood at last, though in the midst of awrecked garden.

  "We can enter now!" he exclaimed to his brother.

  They took off their moccasins, and waded through the pools of mud thatlay in place of the garden spot of a few days before.

  It required considerable force to push open the door, because the waterhad swollen the wood; but by putting their shoulders to the task inunison the boys finally managed to swing it inward.

  Then they entered, and looked around, holding their very breath in anagony of suspense. The cabin had several inches of mud on the floor,and its appearance would have struck dismay to the heart of the neathousewife, had she seen it just then. But Bob and Sandy were notthinking of this. They let their eyes roam all around the room, seekinga sign of the well-remembered little box in which their mother keptthose small articles she prized; and which had also been the receptaclein which the wampum belt had last reposed.

  But only blankness met their view.

  The little box was surely gone; and if, as they suspected, those boldintruders had been the French trappers, Jacques and Henri, then it wasapparent that finally the fortunes of war had placed them in possessionof the article which they would prize more highly than almost anythingelse that could be found--the belt decorated with the little shells,and known as wampum, which was marked with the signet of the great warchief and sachem, Pontiac, and would protect its possessor against thefury of the confederated red men of the wilderness.